Missed Opportunities
by bookworm0313
Summary: Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David were there, gazing into each other's eyes, saying goodbye for the last time. My take on the end of Tiva inspired by the 30 second video prompt. I don't own anything!


**This is a fanfic from the prompt of NCIS I found on facebook. You know, the 30 seconds of suspension and heartache? Yeah, that one.**

**What with Ziva leaving, I just had to do a short oneshot for the end of that video!**

**Here you go lovelies!**

Hair swaying in the breeze, trees in the background, sun high in the sky. Most people would consider this a romantic setting where you would confess to your beloved and walk off hand in hand. However, that wasn't the case for the two NCIS agents standing in such a spot. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David were there, gazing into each other's eyes, saying goodbye for the last time.

No more walking into the bullpen poking fun at each other, no more having each other's six. And definitely no more of the beautiful – albeit sometimes crazy and stressful – tango they were always in, balancing on the line between best friends and lovers.

Tony stood there, gazing into Ziva's eyes, thinking of all the missed opportunities he had where he could have confessed. He thought of the time where he took the picture of them undercover, with her "pregnant" and wearing an apron that said "I have a bun in the oven!" And Paris. God, did he think of Paris. Of the magical time they had together, and how he wished he was back in that moment. He thought of the bomb that happened at NCIS, how they were stuck in the elevator together, confessing their fears. He thought of CI-Ray and that guy from Israel, and how jealous he was that they had her heart, if only for a short time.

She was trying to say something, but he didn't hear. He was too busy lost in his memories and the sight of her, trying to commit this image to his memory. And she was doing the exact same thing. She knew she was speaking about how she needs to leave, that it was for the good of the team, and that she would come back. But her heart wasn't in it. She too was thinking of Paris, the apron, the other guys who had her heart. But she was also thinking about how she was going to miss his quirky movie references, his face when he was getting slapped in the head by Gibbs, his charming smile. She was going to miss the fact that he was always there for her, pulling her out of the darkness, and into the light.

However, she wasn't going to just miss Tony. She was going to miss everybody. Gibbs, who was like a dad to her, more than her biological father ever was in the end. Abby, who was the kooky sister that was so full of heart and soul that you couldn't help but brighten up when you were in her presence, even though she was "a goth." McGee who was the geeky little brother that everybody picked on, and who was with her when was she tracking Bodner. Ducky, who was the grandfather who had more stories than he could remember, and you could listen to for hours just listening to them. Even to Palmer and all his awkwardness.

She wasn't just losing Tony, she was losing the family that adopted her when they lost Kate. She was losing her very life for something that she has no control over. Tony was lucky. He still had his family to turn too, while she would have nobody.

While they were both lost in their thoughts, Ziva put her hand upon his face, jolting them back to this very moment. They stared into each other's eyes as they both said the words they had been waiting for the last 8 and a half years.

"I love you." They both said at the same time, staring wide-eyed. Time seemed to slow down for the two NCIS agents. Neither seemed to realize that Tony interrupted Ziva, or she interrupted herself. Both just felt compelled to say the magical words.

No words were needed to be spoken for they had perfected the art of talking with eyes.

_Why did we wait so long to say that, Ziva?_

_We were to scared to ruin our friendship if we said them._

_Well, better late than never, eh?_

Laughing and trying to ease the tension, she steps into the waiting arms of Tony, placing her head against her heart. When she does though, the tension comes back tenfold. Frozen in his arms, she smells the scent that is uniquely him. Mint and Old Spice, blending perfectly together.

She pulls away and leans in, wanting to smell him more. When she's close enough though, she presses her lips to the corner of his mouth, giving him a kiss.

Tony is frozen. He didn't expect the sniffing, or the hesitant kiss that was oh so close to his mouth. If he wasn't frozen in disbelief he would have turned his head and given and taken a kiss they had both been yearning for too long.

She steps away, her eyes filled with hurt and anger, and walks away. When she turned around Tony broke out of his reverie and grabs her wrist, spun her around, and kissed her full on the lips. She tasted of cinnamon.

It was a kiss of passion, regret, frustration, and love. Neither had experienced a kiss such as this. All these emotions filled them from head to toe, nearly overflowing. They were drowning in their own emotions, but neither wanted to come up for air. They had been waiting too long for this, and they didn't want it to end.

However, it did. Tony broke away, love in his eyes, gasping for air. Ziva's eyes, too, were filled with love. When they both caught their breath, Ziva broke apart, breaking on the inside and turned away. Both were glad that they didn't miss this opportunity. Even if it was better late than never.

Hair swaying in the breeze, trees in the background, sun low in the sky. Most people would consider this a romantic setting where you would confess to your beloved and walk off hand in hand. However, that wasn't the case for the two NCIS agents formerly standing in such a spot. Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David were there, one watching the other leave for the last time, tears in their eyes.

**Totally bittersweet. Bloody Cheese I almost made myself cry writing this! Although that would have been weird bursting out into tears in the middle of class…**

**Anyways, I can't wait for the season to start!**

**Questions, concerns, snide comments?**


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